College students and protests seem to go hand in hand.

Hoards of young adults gathered together in the ’60s to demonstrate against the Vietnam War. Even the conservative, Midwestern campus of Iowa State turned liberal during those tumultuous years.

The Gulf War in the early ’90s drew students in objection to the United States’ involvement in the conflict.

In recent years, a few students collaborated to form the September 29th Movement in protest of changing the name of Old Botany to Carrie Chapman Catt Hall.

From a hunger strike on the steps of Beardshear to the Department of Public Safety arresting protesters from ISU President Martin Jischke’s office, movement members brought wide attention to their cause.

While these protests were significant in their times and raised student awareness of controversial issues, they are few and far between.

College students haven’t taken sufficient advantage of their role in society. They’re old enough to vote, and therefore have a significant voice in the political arena. Yet they’re young enough to get away with putting themselves in the public eye as “troublemakers.”

This year, however, students at Iowa State and the University of Iowa are making an effort to express their discontent through rallies and protests.

Students are taking advantage of their position to fight injustices in the universities and the government.

Thursday afternoon, the U of I chapter of Students Against Sweatshops (SAS) traveled to the state Capitol in Des Moines to express concerns about the university’s membership in the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which SAS says ignores sweatshop labor.

SAS wants U of I to withdraw from the organization. Members have been conducting an around-the-clock sit-in outside U of I President Mary Sue Coleman’s office.

Although university officials at this point have no intention of ending their FLA membership, SAS should be commended for sticking to their protest and letting the administration know its behavior may not please its most important constituents — the students.

At Iowa State, the Government of the Student Body has done an excellent job of lobbying the Statehouse and Board of Regents, as well, fighting tuition increases and state budget cuts.

We can always do more, though. Now is the time in our lives when we are supposed to express our discontent for the benefit of the future. We can do more with our college years than soak up reruns of “90210” and surf the Net.

Act up while you can.

Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Sara Ziegler, Greg Jerrett, Kate Kompas, Carrie Tett and David Roepke.